Practical design issues of tuned mass dampers for torsionally coupled buildings under earthquake loadings

Abstract In this study, a new design procedure was developed for reducing the dynamic responses of torsionally coupled buildings, particularly existing buildings, under bilateral earthquake excitations, by incorporating the vibration control effectiveness of passive tuned mass dampers (PTMDs) . Some practical design issues such as the optimal location for installation, movement direction and numbers of PTMD are considered in this study. The optimal parameters of the PTMD system are determined by minimizing the mean square displacement response ratio of the controlled degree of freedom between the building with and without PTMDs. In addition, parametric studies of the PTMD planar position and the detuning effect are undertaken to determine their influence on the response control efficacy. The numerical results from two typical multistory torsionally coupled buildings under bidirectional ground accelerations, recorded at the 1979 El Centro earthquake, verify that the proposed optimal PTMDs are more effective and more robust in reducing the building responses. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.